Shipping older radios & insurance claims

[J Forster]

Hi Greg,

A couple of points:

1. Modern packaging is JUST good enough so product does not get busted in shipment too
often. The unit is DESIGNED to survive shipment and the corner blocks are the cheapest
way of protecting the unit. Packaging is also very cost driven.

2. Older gear was likely designed to be shipped with a lot more than 2" of padding.
Modern styrofoam is much less shock absorbing than rubberized horse hair or excelsior.
Styrofoam ONLY helps once, when the forces are enough to crush it. Otherwise it
behaves as a rigid body. Just walk on it to see for yourself. Bubble pack is a better
choice, used intelligently. It's basically a problem of choosing the right packing
material....  soft enough to cushion, yet hard enough not to squish flat.

Best,
-John



Greg Gore; WA1KBQ wrote:

> When you buy a microwave oven, computer or a TV the packaging is  always
> designed by a packaging engineer to best absorb and distribute the forces  likely
> to be encountered in the shipping process. When old second hand radio
> equipment is shipped a packaging engineer is never called upon. The proper way  to
> ship is to absorb the impact on the 8 corners with thick styrofoam corner
> protectors but no one ever does this. Instead just about all packing is done so
> forces are directly applied to front panels and knobs so that everything is
> bent, warped and twisted. Why don't we pack so forces are taken and distributed
> at the strongest point on the cabinets, namely the 8 corners? We go out and
> pay  $50 for a huge roll of bubble wrap or worse yet, the dreaded styrofoam
> peanuts convinced we know what we are doing and when things go wrong  it's gotta
> be the other guy's fault. After all we have been shipping for 25  years or
> whatever so if something happens it can't be our fault can  it?
>
> Greg
>
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